GCAC to screen ‘A Borrowed Identity’

Adam Lidgett

North Shore residents will get the chance to not only witness a special screening of an unreleased film in April, but to also talk with its acclaimed Israeli the director. 

As part of the Elliman Film Series, the Gold Coast Arts Center will host “An Evening with Director Eran Riklis featuring a Sneak Peek Screening of ‘A Borrowed Identity’” at 7:30 p.m. April 14 at Soundview Cinemas at 7 Soundview Market Place in Port Washington. 

The film tells the story of Eyad, the first and only Arab boy ever invited to attend a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. As he desperately tries to fit into his new surroundings, Eyad befriends Jonathan, a boy suffering from muscular dystrophy, and falls in love with a Jewish girl named Naomi. 

When their relationship is discovered, Eyad has to leave school and learns he will have to sacrifice his identity to be accepted. 

“People are going to be seeing this film all over the world and the reason people want to see it is because it is an unusual story,” said Regina Gil, the arts center’s executive director. “He’s the first an only Arab boy accepted in the school – that’s certainly a story that’s going to resonate in these times.” 

Director Eran Riklis has won numerous awards at the Israeli Academy Awards as well as film festivals in Toronto, Berlin and Hong Kong, the arts center said in a statement. His film “The Syrian Bride” won 18 international awards and his film “The Human Resources Manager” was selected as the Israeli entry for the 83rd Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film. 

Gil said attendees will be some of the first to see the film in its entirety, and will be the only ones for a while – Riklis will show the film only once before it’s widespread distribution. Gil said Riklis will hold a talk after the screen, when he will also announce when the film will be fully launched. 

“We didn’t even expect to get him,” Gil said. “In the pursuit of the film all of this fell into place.”

Gil said her staff knew of Riklis and his work and initially reached out to see if they could show the film at the arts center. 

“This guy is a world-class director,” Gil said. “We spoke with the people who manage his schedule and they said we had one shot of getting him on April 14.” 

Riklis originally told the arts center that he could come and do a talk and show some of his older films, as he didn’t know at the time if “A Borrowed Identity” would be done by April 14, Gil said. Riklis eventually was able to finish the film in time for the event. 

“He said ‘I’m available to come talk to you and I can get you some of my other films,’” Gil said. “My audience may not have seen those films so I said yes. But in fact he was able to bring in a film no one has seen yet is amazing. We were rewarded for our perseverance and patience.” 

Gil said she wants the audience to be packed as if the screening were taking place in Manhattan. 

“With people of this caliber coming to our region, it behooves us to bring out a big welcome,” Gil said. 

Tickets are $15 in advance – $10 for students – and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by calling 516-829-2570 or going to goldcoastfilmfestival.org.

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